Sign the Petition to

President Barack Obama, Commander-In-Chief of the United States Armed Forces & Chuck Hagel, United States Secretary of Defense

Earlier this year, with a flick of his pen, Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin
set justice aside and overruled a jury’s verdict convicting Lt. Col. James
Wilkerson of aggravated sexual assault of a civilian contractor at Aviano Air
Base. As his punishment, Wilkerson was dismissed from the Air Force and
sentenced to one year in jail. Franklin's reversal freed his fellow fighter
pilot and reinstated him back into the Air Force, in part because he was described by friends and family as a “doting father and husband.” To General Franklin, it didn’t matter that Wilkerson had
failed a lie-detector test or that his own legal counsel recommended against
overruling the verdict. Instead, Franklin claimed that Wilkerson’s conviction
and punishment should be overturned because he was a “doting father and husband.” Franklin
failed to mention that Wilkerson had a long
history of misconduct.
He had already
been caught peeking over a bathroom stall while a subordinate's wife urinated. Wilkerson
egregiously violated safety standards, pulled rank to fend off law enforcement
officials, was abusive to fellow military officials -- and that’s just what we
know so far.

Despite strong corroborating testimony from independent
witnesses and clear supporting facts on the record, Franklin, who did not
attend the trial, decided that he did not believe the victim. Heard that
before? Unless Franklin is dismissed from the service for his biased
and unfounded reversal of Wilkerson’s conviction, Franklin’s actions will have
a chilling effect on victims who might otherwise report being sexually
assaulted. It sends exactly the wrong message to bystanders, investigators,
prosecutors, judges, and juries who otherwise might try to do the right thing.
It confirms to sexual predators that they face little risk of being
punished.

The attack at Aviano is just one of almost twenty thousand similar
incidents occurring every year throughout the military. Eighty-five percent of
victims do not report the crime, mainly out of fear of retaliation, and not
being believed. Most disturbing of all, out of the 3,200 cases reported in
2010, less than 190 reports of sexual assault in the military actually ended in
a conviction. Wilkerson’s conviction was one of those rare instances where
justice was served -- or so it seemed.

President Obama and Secretary Hagel, you must remove Lt. Gen. Franklin and Lt.
Col. Wilkerson for failing our country, and for failing our young service
members and civilians who work on our bases around the world. You cannot allow
this subversion of justice to stand.

Signed,

Protect Our Defenders

This petition closed over 3 years ago

How this will help

Please join us: Tell President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to
protect our service members from rape and sexual assault! Remove Lt. Gen.
Franklin and Lt. Col. Wilkerson from the United States Air Force. The only way
to end the epidemic of sexual assault in the military is to hold leaders, like
Franklin, who cover up and condone these crimes and those who commit the
crimes, like Wilkerson, accountable. Our service members deserve better. Our
country deserves better.

The crisis of rape and sexual abuse in the military
threatens good order and discipline within the ranks of the armed services. It
threatens the safety and livelihood of our men and women in uniform, and their
families. And it threatens the national security of the United States.

Franklin's subsequent explanation showed no valid basis to
overturn the conviction, decided by a jury comprised of senior military
officers, that he selected. What
mattered to Franklin was that Wilkerson like himself was a senior officer and
fighter pilot. They served together in Iraq and had many mutual friends. What
mattered was the "good ol' boys" network.

Leaders who fail to prosecute and punish the sexual
predators in our military services must face consequences, or the culture that
fosters this epidemic will never end.
Survivors of military sexual assault are calling on President Obama and Defense Sec. Hagel
to discharge Lt. Gen. Franklin and Lt. Col. Wilkerson. Please help Protect Our
Defenders and sign their petition!

Members of Congress, from both parties, have condemned
Franklin's egregious action.
"Franklin clearly substituted his own independent judgment for that
of the convened fact-finding panel," said Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, a
member of the House Armed Services Committee.

"This [Franklin's explanation] letter, is filled with
selective reasoning and assumptions from someone with no legal training, and
it's appalling that the reasoning spelled out in the letter served as the basis
to overturn a jury verdict in this case," said Senator Claire McCaskill
(D-MO) – Wall Street Journal. The
Senator went on to say, according to the Washington Post, parts of Franklin's
letter explaining his actions, "just set my teeth on edge."